Hearing Starts In French Street Artist's Slaying

DETROIT (AP) - A hearing has begun to decide whether two young men and a 17-year-old boy should stand trial for murder in the shooting of a 23-year-old French street artist during a robbery outside an abandoned Detroit housing project.

Twenty-three-year-old Bilal Berreni of Paris was found dead in July 2013. He had no identification, and it took seven months before police identified him through fingerprints.

A judge began hearing testimony Tuesday to decide whether there's probable cause to send the case to trial in Wayne County Circuit Court. The hearing resumes Jan. 9.

Seventeen-year-old Dionte Travis, 18-year-old Jasin Curtis and 20-year-old Drequone Rich are charged with first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison without parole in Michigan.

A 14-year-old is awaiting a separate trial in juvenile court.
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